


Three Teams

by transtrees



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-10 02:38:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 8,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3273641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transtrees/pseuds/transtrees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was only lunch, but it was the third time this had happened in one day...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was only lunch, but it was the third time this had happened in one day. Kagami whipped around with a loud yelp.

“Where-“

“I was here the whole time.” Kagami sighed. Of course. Kuroko fell into step beside him, naturally matching his pace as they headed to class. Kagami watched him carefully out of the corner of his eye all the way there, and continued to glance at him often while the teacher spoke. He scribbled down math formulas in his notes, only barely understanding, and spent part of the class sleeping lightly on his desk. The bell rang. He sat slowly, rubbing his eyes, and turned to say something to Kuroko. His gaze fell on an empty desk. He glanced around frantically to find him already on his way out the door. He scrambled to keep up.

“You shouldn’t fall asleep in class, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said, looking down at his phone. Kagami shrugged. “Also, you are staring at me.” He flinched and tore his gaze away, but was careful to keep a smudge of blue in the corner of his vision.

“Who’re you texting,” Kagami leaned over, trying to see the screen over his shoulder.

“Aomine-kun,” Kuroko replied.

“You’ve been talking to him lots since the winter tournament, huh?”

“Hm.” Kuroko nodded, a tiny smile crossing his face. “Actually,” he continued, “I have plans to meet him at the mall today. Would you like to come?” He finally looked up, meeting Kagami’s eyes, his head cocked slightly to the side.

“Uh… sure, I guess.” Kuroko smiled.

Kuroko and Kagami got to the mall before Aomine, and waited for him on a bench near the door. Kagami sat with a huff, leaning back to stretch, and Kuroko settled beside him, their shoulders pressed gently together. Kagami watched his eyes wander, following people as they walked by. He watched the way he squinted slightly, his gaze flickering up and down each person before glancing away. Aside from his eyes, he sat almost perfectly still, never fidgeting, his breath hardly noticeable.  
Suddenly, there were arms wrapped around Kagami’s shoulders and a weight on his head.

“Hey guys,” came a voice from above him. He whipped around to face the speaker, yelling, and Aomine bounced backwards with a laugh.

“What the hell are you thinking, sneaking up on me like that?” Kagami Swatted at him, missing by at least a foot as he leapt away.

“I wasn’t even trying, you oblivious asshole. Tetsu saw me coming from a mile away. You were just too busy staring at him!”

“I wasn’t-“

“You were staring at me, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko interrupted, but his tone was amused. Kagami looked away, blushing. “It is my fault, though,” he admitted. “I’ve been practicing misdirection overflow on you.”

“What? Why? Is that why you’ve been sneaking up on me all day?”

“Yes. I am surprised it took you so long to get used to it.” There was a tiny crease between his eyebrows and he looked down as he spoke.

“Asshole! Of course it took me awhile, I was trying not to stare at you! I didn’t wanna look like a weirdo!” Kuroko’s expression softened, and he turned to face Kagami and Aomine.

“You always look like a weirdo,” he said, then interrupted Kagami before he could reply. “Let’s go do something.”

The rest of the day went as smoothly as it could have, despite the three boys arguing constantly. Kagami and Aomine got kicked out of a store for rough housing, and Kagami protested, but the other two laughed it off and dragged him away. They got milkshakes. Kuroko couldn’t finish his, and Aomine and Kagami tried to take it from him at the same time, knocking it out of his hands and spilling it.They quickly got bored of looking around, but didn’t want to go home and ended up spending hours hanging out in the same restaurant.

Kuroko was the first to go home, leaving the other two to sit in silence, until Kagami finally spoke up.

“Why the hell did he need to practice misdirection overflow on me? It’s not like we’ve got any games coming up, or like he even needs to practice!” Aomine smirked, leaning back in the restaurant booth and stretching with his arms above his head.

“Isn’t it obvious,” he said. “He wanted you to stare at him.” Kagami’s mouth fell open. “Quit making that face,” Aomine swatted at him. “You’re ugly when you’re confused.”

“You’re ugly,” Kagami said, watching Aomine’s smirk hit his deep blue eyes.

“Yeah, right.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warning, this chapter contains spoilers from the manga. If you don’t want to see the spoilers it’s probably fine to just skip the chapter… it’s not ridiculously important.)

It was the end of the day, and the two boys were walking down the sidewalk in front of the school.

“We don’t have a game today,” Kuroko said.

“No shit.” Kagami looked down at him, confused.

“But you couldn’t sleep last night,” He explained. “Your eyes are bloodshot, like they always are when we have a big game.” Kagami shrugged, and spat out a lie about having caffeine before bed. Truth was, he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t slept. He just couldn’t stop thinking. The day before, when Kuroko used his misdirection overflow on him, it had triggered memories he’d never really considered before, but suddenly there were scenes that wouldn’t stop playing in his head until late into the night:

The first time Kagami noticed the way Kuroko’s eyes scanned the people around him.

“If you’re looking for the first aid kit, it’s on top of the lockers,” he’d said, and he’d been right. “Since you’re my teammate, who I’m always with, I know a lot about you.” After that, Kagami kept noticing just how observant Kuroko was, how his eyes narrowed the tiniest bit or he raised his eyebrows slightly every time he saw something noteworthy.

The day Kuroko shot a buzzer beater. His blank, stunned face. Everyone’s eyes on him, cheering for him. The moment the shock finally melted away, and he smiled more brightly than Kagami had ever seen before. He remembered noticing all the little details, the shape of his lips and the exact way his eyes crinkled with joy, the subtle change in his tone of voice that gave away just how astonished and excited he was.

The time he’d gone an entire two months without Kuroko sneaking up on him. The match with Rakuzan, when the team realized he was losing his lack of presence, and Kagami looked at him and was sure he was more solid than he used to be.

The previous day, when Kuroko had disappeared so many times Kagami lost count. He should have been glad his shadow had regained the ability that made him such a threat on the court, but he couldn’t help being unsettled by the realization.

Kuroko grabbed Kagami’s sleeve, shaking him out of his thoughts. They’d come to the intersection where they usually parted ways, but Kuroko stopped walking suddenly, looking up at Kagami. He paused, staring with the same determination he had during games. He was considerably less sweaty, though.

“Kagami-kun,” he asked, “would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure. Maji Burgers? Is six a good time to meet?”

“Ah- actually, I was thinking we could go somewhere different this time. There is a place that opened recently…”

“Oh! I know the place. Isn’t it kinda fancy though?”

“…Yes, that is the point, Kagami-kun… Six is good.”

“…Oh... Uh, Okay! Well, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See you.” Kuroko sighed. Kagami waved, grinned, and bounded away.


	3. Chapter 3

“I’ll pay for you,” Kuroko said firmly, but his eyebrows creased and his jaw stiffened as he peered into his wallet.

“What? Why?” Kagami was not lacking in money, thanks to his parents, and he had been right when he pointed out that the place was not cheap.

“Because I am the one who asked you to dinner.” Kagami scoffed, and grabbed a fist full of money straight out of his pocket. “You can’t even afford to pay for how much I ate!”

“…This is true.” His shoulders fell and he pouted slightly. “Walk me home,” he demanded.

“Wh- okay.” Kuroko sighed again. They walked side by side, quiet most of the way there. Kuroko’s hand brushed against the back of Kagami’s. He jerked away quickly and stuck it in his pocket. They walked up to Kuroko’s house, silently following the sidewalk to his door. Kuroko reached for the doorknob, but let his hand fall. He turned around. His eyes stuck to the ground for a minute, before he dragged them up to meet Kagami’s. He tilted up onto his toes and leaned forward.

He kissed him. His lips were soft and cool, the only part of their bodies that touched, and the kiss hardly lasted a second. Kagami forgot to close his eyes. Kuroko turned away quickly and rushed inside. There was no tingle lingering on Kagami’s mouth, no warm taste on his tongue, no searing memory of sparkling sensation. He had hardly felt it, but his heartbeat was a battering ram against his ear drums.

“Ooohhhhh,” he said to himself, “That was a date!” He smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Kuroko was planning to come over to his house after school, and Kagami was waiting outside, bouncing on the balls of his feet, eyes skipping from person to person. A blur of blue wavered in the crowd, then disappeared. Suddenly, Kuroko was beside him.

“Hello.”

“Hey.” He fiddled with a loose thread in his pocket as they started walking, his face turned away, eyes fixed on the sidewalk. The only sound was his own footsteps, his own heartbeat. He peered sideways. Kuroko’s arm was only inches away from his. His hand slipped out of his pocket slowly and clenched into a fist. A bird chattered on a telephone pole and the wind from a passing car ruffled his hair gently. Uncurling hesitantly, his fingers crept towards Kuroko’s.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Kagami.” Kuroko smiled softly, blushing, and took his hand. Kagami’s face flushed dark and he looked away. They were quiet for a long time, until Kagami apologized for his sweaty hands, and Kuroko let go to wipe the sweat off on Kagami’s shirt. Kagami yelled at him. Hand in hand, they bickered all the way to his house.

Kagami opened the front door and let Kuroko step inside. They walked into the living room, flopping on the couch.

“Last night was a date.” Kagami blurted, halfway between a question and a statement. Kuroko nodded. Kagami scratched the back of his head and looked at his feet, hesitating before he spoke. “Can I kiss you again?” Kuroko nodded harder. He leaned in until their lips met softly. His hand reached around the back of Kuroko’s head, soft hair ghosting between his fingers. He tilted his head forward, pressed harder. The kiss ended.

They spent the rest of the day sitting, talking, watching T.V. with Kuroko’s head rested so lightly on the other’s shoulder that he could hardly feel it.


	5. chapter 5

Kagami and Kuroko were bored. They’d been sitting around Kagami’s house for hours with nothing to do, and were debating where else they could go that would be more exciting. They decided on the outdoor basketball court nearby. They grabbed a ball and headed out the door.

They crouched and stared each other in the eyes, Kagami dribbling the ball while he searched for an opening. He took a sudden step to the left and rushed forward, bolting towards the hoop and leapt. It reverberated in his hand as the ball swooshed through. He turned around as he hit the ground, and saw Kuroko running towards him… still all the way over at half court, and painfully out of breath. Kagami scowled.

“This is boring,” he said, bouncing the ball to Kuroko. He caught it and looked at him with wide eyes. “We’ve been playing for twenty minutes and you haven’t even scored once.”

“You’re right,” Kuroko sighed, slumping his shoulders. “Maybe we should go home. It’s getting late anyways.” He gazed over at the horizon where the sun was starting to sink behind the buildings.

“Ugh, I guess you’re right.” Kuroko passed the ball back, and they parted. Kagami waved at Kuroko weakly as he turned away.


	6. Chapter 6

Kagami’s phone buzzed, humming against the wood table by his bed. He picked it up and looked at the screen.

"I’m going to bed. Goodnight”

“Night, Kuroko.” He tossed the phone carelessly off the bed and buried his face in his pillow. It landed with a whump on a pile of clothes. A sigh seeped from his mouth.

He’d seen Kuroko at school that day. Their text conversation had been unbroken since the first “Good morning,” but it wasn’t enough. He wished it was the weekend. He wished Kuroko was spending the night, and they weren’t planning to sleep until it hurt to move and the cold blue light that melted through the window gave the air a distinctive, sleepy taste. It wasn’t enough.

 

 

Kagami cornered Kuroko every chance he got, hiding in the shadows to dig his fingers in his hair, bury his tongue in his mouth, push him back against a wall and lean into him until he could feel both their heartbeats pounding. When Kuroko talked, his eyes locked on his face, watching his mouth move, his eyes wander, everything. When Kuroko didn’t talk, he stared even harder; he could disappear so easily when he was quiet. They’d always had a habit of wandering off to stand close to each other, sitting a few inches apart on the bench during games, but now there always seemed to be some part of Kagami glued right to his boyfriend’s skin.

It was a bright, sunny Saturday and the two of them were hanging out with Aomine. They had never exactly told him that they were dating, but they had seen the wide grin that split his face when he saw them holding hands.

“Finally!” He’d said. Kagami had reached up and shoved him, hand colliding with his face, lips twisted in an attempt to hide a smile.

They were going to the movies later, and had to waste time until then. Kagami was leaning against a tree in the shade, watching the other two sit on a park bench. Aomine towered over Kuroko, his arm thrown casually behind the other’s shoulders, Kuroko fitting easily into his shadow. They were smiling while they talked and Kuroko’s shoulders shook slightly with laughter, his eyes sparkling. Aomine’s grin was wide and lopsided, careless. He threw his head back when he laughed, so much louder and deeper than Kuroko’s. His eyes met Kagami’s as he looked back down, still smiling. Kagami’s breath caught. For a second he was frozen, locked in Aomine’s gaze.

They hung out in the park for a while before wandering off. They walked around town, stopping to get food, drifting in and out of stores, until they decided it was late enough to go to the theater.

Kuroko sat in the middle, holding a large bag of popcorn. He and Kagami had bought it to share, but neither of them reacted when a third hand slipped in to steal a handful. Kagami wrapped his arm around Kuroko’s shoulders, leaning into him until the armrest dug into his ribs. Aomine’s arm was draped over the back of the seat, and he was leaning into the middle too, his shoulder centimeters away from Kuroko’s head. He smiled when Kuroko kissed Kagami’s cheek, but he looked away quickly, and his expression faltered. It was gone almost immediately, but for a second he looked like he’d just been punched in the gut. Kagami frowned.


	7. chapter 7

“whats up?” Kagami had told Aomine not to text him during class, but it wasn’t like he was doing anything , so he replied.

“nothing. in class. whats up with u?”

“my dick”

“no”

“skipping” Kagami put his phone in his pocket and picked up his pencil as the teacher walked by, then pulled it back out again.

“dont skip!”

“doesnt matter as long as i pass”

“werent you complaining earlier cuz you have a test today”

“now i dont have to do it and i can sleep. its all good”

“you cant skip a test!” He put the phone down and looked over at the person’s desk beside him. He copied a few of their answers, then looked down to see if he’d gotten a reply.

“plus i get to talk to u ;)" Why was there a winky face?

“youd still talk to me if you were in class”

“tru lmao i just love u that much” Oh god.

“go to class”

“rejected :(“

“go to class” He shoved the phone in his pocket and went back to copying answers until the person next to him noticed and hid their paper behind their arm. He looked at his own paper, then at the board, then sighed and pulled his phone back out.

“why dont u love me

hey answer me asshole

ill stop flirting geez you know im joking right” Kagami rolled his eyes and typed a reply.

“chill i told u im in class”

“that’s no excuse”

“and i know ur joking its not like u would ever be nice to someone or show affection if u weren’t being sarcastic lol”

“wow ok and im the one who needs 2 chill???” Kagami didn’t reply, and Aomine didn’t pester him again.


	8. chapter 8

The team had been hoping to get together outside of school, and Kuroko had happily recommended Kagami’s house. Kagami had no say in this, or in Kuroko texting Aomine to invite him too, or in Aomine inviting Momo. The best he could manage was to determine that he was not going to cook for everyone, and if they wanted snacks they would have to bring them. Everyone agreed that snacks were a great idea, and decided on movies, as well.

They were all gathered in his living room, blankets and pillows splayed over the carpet for everyone who couldn’t fit on the couch, which had been claimed by Riko, Kiyoshi and Hyuuga. Kiyoshi was sprawled across both their laps, his feet dangling over the side. Mitobe and Koganei were sharing food Mitobe had brought, and the first years had been trying to start a pillow fight, until Izuki tried to come up with a pun about pillow fights and suddenly it wasn’t fun anymore. Kuroko and Aomine were laying on their stomachs right in front of the TV, Momo sitting crossed-legged beside Aomine. Kuroko patted the space between them, smiling at Kagami, who flopped onto the blanket with a resigned sigh, gathering a pillow under his chest. Kuroko moved in closer, so their sides were pressed together. The movie started.

At some point during the night, Aomine had shifted closer. Kagami was now squished between the two other boys, Kuroko’s head resting on his shoulder. Warmth poured from both their bodies, and his skin buzzed where Aomine’s arm was pressed against his. He looked at Kuroko, who was watching with expressionless concentration, and then at Aomine, who gazed in the direction of the TV with half lidded eyes that didn’t follow the movements on screen. He looked to the side and caught Kagami staring. He smirked, raising an eyebrow. Kagami blushed and looked away.

“This movie is boring,” Aomine whispered.

“It’s not that bad. It just needs more…”

“Boobs.” Aomine let his head fall on Kagami’s shoulder. A shiver ran up his spine.

“I was going to say action.” He jabbed Aomine’s arm with his elbow. After two movies, everyone was getting sleepy, and started leaving in small groups. Eventually, Kuroko was the only one left. Kagami kissed him once and waved goodbye.

“See you tomorrow,” he said.

“See you.” He walked out the door, turning back to wave when he hit the end of the sidewalk. Kagami closed the door.

He went to bed almost immediately after, but didn’t fall asleep for a long time. He touched his arm absently, his fingers brushing over where Aomine had been pressed against him all night.

He was going to have to tell Kuroko about this.


	9. chapter 9

It was the weekend. The three boys were at the court near Kagami’s house. They’d been playing for a while, but were struggling to find a way to make it work with an uneven number of players. At first, Kuroko had automatically teamed up with Kagami, and it had honestly been a pretty even match, even if Kagami would never admit it, but after a few minutes, Aomine spoke up.

“How come you get Kuroko?” He swerved suddenly to the right, easily bouncing the ball out of reach as Kagami lunged.

“Because he’s my teammate.” The ball flew out of Aomine’s hand suddenly, and Kagami caught it.

“See?” Aomine said, twisting around to face where Kuroko stood behind him, hand still hovering over where the ball had been a second ago. “You’ve got an unfair advantage. We should switch it up.”

“Are you scared you’re gonna lose? I thought you liked a challenge.” Aomine snarled and charged towards him. He dodged, dribbling the ball out of reach.

“Aomine-kun is right. It would be fair for me to switch teams once in a while,” Kuroko said. Kagami growled.

“Fine,” he said, glaring at Aomine, “but I’m still gonna kick your ass.” Aomine scoffed.

They played like this for a while, but it wasn’t long before Kagami and Aomine were fighting again. Kagami was convinced Kuroko and Aomine had been playing together longer than Kuroko and himself, but Aomine was sure their time wasn’t up yet.

“This isn’t working. We can’t keep fighting over him,” Aomine said finally.

“This would work just fine if you weren’t trying to hog him! What else can we do? We can’t just leave him out!” Kagami threw the ball hard towards Aomine. “We have to find a way to make it work with three people.” Aomine calmly tossed it back. “Three teams.”

“You can’t play basketball with three teams!” Kagami aimed for Aomine’s face this time, throwing as hard as he could. Aomine caught it easily.

“Why not? We’ll just all play, and whoever gets the most points wins.” “That won’t work!” “Why not?” “Because…” Aomine smirked at Kagami’s hesitation, bouncing the ball absently.

“Kuroko can’t play by himself!”

“I’ll be fine,” Kuroko said.

“See? He’ll be fine.” Aomine smiled at Kuroko, and he smiled back. Kagami scowled at both of them, but then Aomine turned that lazy smirk towards him instead, and the fight drained out of him.

“Fine,” he sighed. “We can try to make it work.”

It wasn’t long before Kagami completely forgot about his protests. It was hard to think about anything but basketball with Aomine in front of him, breathing hard and covered in sweat. His eyes were fixed on Kagami, wild and hungry. He stepped away suddenly, going from almost absolute stillness to full speed so fast Kagami almost didn’t see it, but he was ready for that. He lunged after him immediately, ducked, swiped at the ball and spun around him. They reacted to each other so smoothly and quickly it almost seemed coordinated. Kagami reached forward one last time and grinned as his hand finally collided with the ball, knocking it to the ground. He pounced after it as it bounced away, but before he could grab it, it was gone. He looked around frantically. Kuroko stood under the net, poised to shoot. Kagami yelled as the ball left his hands, and leapt towards him, but it was too late.

“Yes!” Kuroko said quietly, pumping his fist in the air. Aomine swiped the rebound, and Kagami bolted after him again.

The sun had disappeared behind a thick layer of clouds hours ago, but a weak orange glow was sinking towards the horizon. Kuroko had collapsed on the concrete a while ago, panting and exhausted but smiling, and decided to watch the other two play until they were bored. He was sitting on a bench, leaning against the fence surrounding the court, when he felt a drop of water on the back of his hand. He looked up, squinting, at the dark grey gradient sky.

“Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun,” he said, trying his best to speak up, but neither of them responded. He sighed, and settled with watching them a little longer. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they would have ignored him even if he screamed, considering the way they looked at each other. He’d never seen either of them so deep in concentration as when they played together. They danced around each other rhythmically, shouting and snarling like wild animals. They flew past him suddenly, so close he could smell them, feel their heat and the air that ruffled his hair from their movement. Kagami tore away from Aomine and crouched in front of the net. Kuroko gasped when he flew into the air. Aomine jumped after him, their chests almost touching, but was easily left behind. He rose so high he had to reach downwards to slam the ball through the hoop. A triumphant grin blasted across his face, and Kuroko couldn’t stop himself from smiling, too. Aomine’s shirt flew up as he fell, exposing the little trail of hair leading down from his bellybutton.

Kuroko noticed this last fact only because he noticed everything.

“Hm?” Aomine stopped suddenly, holding his hands out and looking up. “It’s raining.”

“No it’s not.” Kuroko smirked. Of course Kagami had to argue.

“It is! I felt it!” “A bug probably peed on you.”

“Bugs don’t pee on people,” Aomine said. He pointed at the ground, where tiny dark spots were starting to appear on the concrete. “See? It’s raining.”

“…So what?” Kagami said, bending over to get the ball, which had rolled away after he dunked it.

“So, we should probably go home,” Aomine said. “We’ve been out here for hours, anyways. Kuroko’s too tired to play anymore”

“Ugh, I guess you’re right. I don’t want to, though.” Aomine sighed.

“Me neither,” he admitted. Kuroko smiled, remembering when Aomine used to sleep through practice, and complain when he was forced to play.


	10. chapter 10

Kagami had told Kuroko to come over after school, because he wanted to talk about something. He’d been fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, and talking faster than usual. Kuroko had spent the rest of the class glancing at the clock.

They were in Kagami’s room now, sitting on his bed. Kagami was pretending to be occupied by his phone, scrolling through his old text messages.

“What did you want to talk about?” Kuroko asked. Kagami closed his texts, then opened them again, then closed them. He turned his phone off and shoved it in his pocket.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” He was still refusing to make eye contact, his hands balled into fists on his lap.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I…”

“You can tell me.” Kagami’s eyes were wet and shiny. He wiped them with the back of his hand. Was he really that scared to bring it up?

“I think we need to break up,” he said quietly, his shaky voice almost a whisper. Kuroko’s mouth fell open. He stared. The tears were rushing down Kagami’s face now. He’d stopped bothering to wipe them away.

“What?” He must have misheard him. It had been going so well. He thought it had been going so well. Kuroko tasted salt, and realized he was crying too, tears falling into his mouth. He blinked, and heard them plunk onto the bed under him, leaving dark spots on the sheets. Kagami didn’t say anything. Kuroko wiped his eyes with his sleeve, holding back a sob.

“W-why?” He was having trouble keeping his breathing steady.

“I don’t think I like you enough.” There was no emotion in Kagami’s voice, only a slight tremor. “That’s all.”

“You’re lying.” Kuroko whispered.

“I’m not.” Kagami bit his lip and rubbed his eyes angrily. “You’re just saying that because you don’t want to believe me.” Kuroko stared at him, trembling. No. When Aomine lied, he looked away. When Kagami lied, he blinked. He was blinking more than usual, wasn’t he? It was hard to tell through the tears.

“If I did something wrong, please tell me.” He stared at him with wide eyes, wishing he would just look at him.

“No. This relationship just isn’t good enough for me anymore… I’m sorry.”

“Kagami-kun…”

“I’m sorry. I think you should go home.”


	11. chapter 11

Kagami stayed home from school the next day. He didn’t really mean to, but every time he tried to stand up, nothing happened. He lay there, staring at the wall. Nobody was there to tell him to move, so he gave up, and let himself fall back asleep.

When he finally dragged himself out of bed, it was almost noon. He wandered into the kitchen and mindlessly made himself breakfast. He ate slowly, and ended up throwing half of it away, then walked back into his room and picked up his phone. One message from Riko. None from Kuroko. Two from Aomine.

“Fuck you,” he muttered, his thumb hovering over Aomine’s name. He threw the phone onto the bed and sat down on the floor beside it, hugging his knees, his face pressed against them. He was crying. “Fuck you, Aomine, and your fucking smile and your annoying face.” He sobbed until his throat hurt.

 

Kuroko and Aomine were sitting side by side in a booth in the darkest corner of Maji Burgers, Kuroko leaning on Aomine’s arm and picking at his food. Kuroko’s lack of presence was most obvious when he was upset, and right now he was almost non-existent. He hadn’t said a single word the whole time.

“I didn’t even know something was wrong,” He whispered.

“That fucking asshole,” Aomine said. “I can’t believe he did that to you. He’s a piece of shit.”

“You liked him,” Kuroko said.

“I was wrong.”

“You can’t hate him for breaking up with me Aomine-kun. It’s not his fault if he doesn’t like me anymore.”

“He didn’t even give you a proper reason!”

“Maybe that really was the whole reason. Maybe I’m just not enough.” Aomine smacked him lightly. “Shut up.” Kuroko buried his face in Aomine’s shirt, and they were silent for a few minutes.

“I don’t want you to stop being his friend,” Kuroko finally said, almost too quiet to be heard. “You are good for each other. You don’t have to hate him for me. I don’t hate him.” Aomine scowled, but didn’t respond.


	12. Chapter 12

Seirin had organized a practice game with Touou. By the end of second quarter, everyone on both teams was already shaking from the effort, soaked in sweat, but Seirin quickly fell behind, and Touou won by a wide margin.

Aomine paused on his way out the door. It was pouring rain. He looked up at the dark, billowing clouds and took another step, stopping to let the cold raindrops wash over him. After a minute, he turned and walked slowly down the sidewalk, not headed anywhere in particular. He saw someone sitting on a bench a little ways down, and squinted through the rain. It was Kagami, slumped forward and staring at the ground, his hair soaking wet and dripping over his eyes.

“You played like shit today.” Aomine sneered. Kagami glanced at him but didn’t respond. Aomine stood over him, glaring in silence. The water was starting to soak through his jacket. “You lied to Tetsu,” he said. Kagami stiffened, clenching his fists.

“I didn’t lie,” he growled.

“You think I’m gonna believe that, asshole? Anyone could tell you’re still head over fucking heels. Why the hell did you tell him you don’t like him anymore?”

“I don’t like him anymore.” Kagami spoke through clenched teeth, glaring at the ground.

“Do you have herpes?”

“I don’t have herpes!” He sat up straight to face Aomine, drops of water flying off his hair. Good. He was finally reacting.

“Then what the fuck is wrong with you that’s so bad you can’t tell your own boyfriend? Huh?” Aomine was leaning over him, his voice raising with each word. Water dripped off his chin onto Kagami’s face.

“He’s not my boyfriend anymore, Aomine.” Kagami’s eyes burned into him.

“Why did you lie?”

“Fuck off!” Kagami swung a fist at him and stood up, trying to walk away, but Aomine stepped in front of him and cornered him against the bench.

“Why.” Aomine leaned in closer, their chests touching. “Did.” In an instant his voice had gone from wildly loud to dangerously quiet. “You.” He was almost whispering now, inches away from Kagami’s face. “Lie?” They stared at each other, red eyes meeting dark blue. Aomine scowled. Kagami’s expression was blank.

“You really wanna know?” he asked slowly, his voice low and challenging. Aomine raised a disgusted eyebrow in response, refusing to break eye contact. “It’s fucked up,” Kagami warned.

“Tell me.”

“You’ll hate me,” he snarled, straightening his posture, leaning into Aomine’s face. They stared each other down. A drop of water rolled off Kagami’s eyelashes.

“You broke Tetsu’s heart,” he said slowly. “I already hate you.” Silence. Kagami finally looked away.

“You’re right,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“About?”

“I still love him,” Kagami said, gritting his teeth. “Of course I do, but it would be cruel to stay with him.”

“Why?” Aomine demanded. His clothes were soaking wet now, puddles starting to form in the bottoms of his shoes.

“Because of you,” Kagami snapped. “I have feelings for you, too.” His teeth were chattering, the cold finally getting to him.

“He’s not enough for me. The only times I really felt happy with him, you were there too. I love him. I know I do, but I guess it’s not real love. My feelings are all fucked up and I’m just gonna hurt him.” Aomine huffed. He stood back, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away.

“Fucking dumbass,” he muttered. Kagami wrapped his arms tighter around himself, trying to stop shivering. For a long time, the only sound was the pounding rain. “I can’t believe you broke up with him over that,” Aomine said.

“What else was I supposed to do?”

“Talk to him, maybe?” Kagami laughed dryly.

“As if you would know anything about talking about your feelings,” he hissed. Aomine shot him a glare, a shiver shaking his body.

“Maybe you just need to learn to play with three people,” he said quietly.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Aomine ignored the question, turning around abruptly.

“Talk to Kuroko,” he said, then walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

Kuroko was sleeping quietly in the desk behind Kagami. There were five minutes until the end of class, and the room was starting to buzz with conversation, people gathering up their things.

Talk to Kuroko. Right. Kagami sighed, watching the clock. Four minutes left now. He turned around and glanced at Kuroko, whose eyes had fluttered opened. He was staring at his desk sleepily, head still resting on his hands.

Class finally ended, and Kagami followed Kuroko down the hallway.

“Kuroko,” he said. “Can we… Can I talk to you?”

“…Yes,” Kuroko replied, staring straight ahead and hugging his books to his chest. There was a long pause as they walked silently. Neither of them spoke until they were outside and out of earshot. “What did you want to say?” Kuroko asked, stopping and turning to face Kagami. Kagami hesitated.

“I wanted to tell you why I broke up with you,” he said. “The real reason.” Kuroko nodded. Kagami sighed. He stared up at the sky for a few seconds, thinking. “At first, I thought maybe I really didn’t like you anymore. It’s obvious that I do, but it doesn’t make sense…” He paused again, scratching the back of his neck. “The problem is, I like you… But I like someone else, too.” He stopped, looking at Kuroko from the corner of his eye, but his expression was blank and unrevealing. “I wanted to ignore it, but it kept getting worse,” he continued. “Being with you was never enough. I felt like you weren’t really there most of the time.”

“Is Aomine-kun the other person who you like?” Kuroko asked. Kagami flinched.

“Was I that obvious?”

“You do not have to be obvious for me to notice things about you.”

“If you knew, why didn’t you say something?”

“I did not know for sure. It’s only that I- Uh, there is something I need to tell you as well.”

“What is it?” Kagami asked, raising his eyebrows. Kuroko paused.

“I also like Aomine-kun,” he admitted. “I didn’t think it mattered as long as I didn’t act on it, but it was a very difficult secret to keep. I suppose you could say that I did not know you liked Aomine-kun, but I hoped that you did.”

“Why would you want me to like him?” he frowned, confused. Kuroko shrugged. There was an akward silence before Kagami spoke again.

“I told Aomine,” he blurted.

“You told him before you told me?” Kuroko asked. Kagami’s face fell.

“I wasn’t scared of hurting him like I was scared of hurting you,” he muttered. “And I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and he cornered me... But he said something weird.” Kuroko looked at Kagami and tilted his head curiously. “He said, ‘maybe you need to learn to play with three people.’”

“That is the same thing he said when we were playing basketball,” Kuroko pointed out.

“Yeah, but why the fuck would he say that after I confessed to him?” A group of students on their way home were approaching from a little ways down the sidewalk, and Kuroko waited to let them pass before he replied.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said,“do you think it is possible that Aomine-kun likes us as well?” Kagami looked at him. His mouth fell open. They stared at each other for a moment.

“You can’t have a relationship with three people!” Kagami said.

“Maybe you could.” Kuroko shrugged, looking up with hopeful eyes.

“How would that even work?”

“Maybe Aomine-kun is right. We just have to learn to play with three people, and it’s not a big deal”

“This isn’t basketball, Kuroko! It won’t work like that.”

“Please Kagami-kun. I would like to at least try.” He looked down at his feet. “I miss you.”

“…I miss you too.”

“Let’s talk to Aomine-kun.”

“Ok, fine.”


	14. Chapter 14

 

“can u come over” Kagami was laying on his stomach in bed, pressed up against the wall. Kuroko was with him, as far to the other side as he could get, one arm dangling over the edge. “i talked to kuroko” He sent the text to Aomine and set the phone down on the bed. Kuroko stretched with his arms over his head and rolled over onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. They laid in silence until Kagami’s phone buzzed.

“right now?”

“yeah”

“I guess so”

“good”

“see you”

Kagami put the phone back down on the bed.

“He’s coming,” he told Kuroko.

“Hm.” Kuroko nodded.  After a few minutes of staring impatiently at the unused phone sitting face down on the bed, Kagami sat up and stretched. He cracked his neck twice, loudly, and Kuroko cringed.

“How long do you think it’ll take him?” Kagami asked. Kuroko shrugged.

“It could be quite a while,” he said, “If he doesn’t care very much.” He ran his hand through his hair, leaving it a tousled mess. “Or if he wants us to believe that he doesn’t care.”

“He’d better care,” Kagami muttered, laying back down on his back.

“Yes,” Kuroko agreed. “It would be better if he did.” They fell into silence. Kagami rolled back over onto his stomach and picked up his phone, checking the time and his messages, then his game notifications. Nothing. He put the phone down, then picked it up and checked the time again, because he’d forgot what it said. He stared at it until it changed.

“You’re impatient,” Kuroko said.

“No shit.”

“You’re nervous.” Kuroko turned onto his side. Kagami looked at him, clenching his jaw and forced himself not to avoid eye contact.

“No I’m not,” he said. Kuroko raised his eyebrows. “I’m not nervous,” he insisted. “I don’t give a shit. If Aomine wants to try some weird, three-way relationship with us, good. If he doesn’t, whatever. I’ll get over him, then you and me can figure shit out…” He stopped and looked at Kuroko. “Right?”  Instead of replying, Kuroko crawled over until he was easily within arm’s reach. He lifted a hand, and gently smacked Kagami on the head.

“Getting over Aomine-kun was so hard for you before that you had to break up with me,” he said. “Do not say that you will get over him now.”

“It’ll be different, cuz I’ll know he doesn’t like me.”

“Did you believe that he liked you before?” Kuroko asked. Kagami let his head fall onto the bed, hiding his face in his arms. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long groan, staring at nothing in the darkness. The sheets brushed against his eyelashes when he blinked.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said. Kagami grumbled and peeked up over his arm. Kuroko stared at him and held his fist out. “Don’t worry. We can do this.” Kagami smiled and laughed quietly, reaching out to meet his fist with his own. They held the fist-bump for a few seconds before letting their hands fall.

A long time had passed when the doorbell rang, but they had finally eased into a comfortable conversation. The awkward distance between them was dissipating quickly.

“He’s here,” Kuroko said, his eyes lighting up. Kagami glanced at the time on his phone.

“Looks like he doesn’t care.” He stood up and shoved the phone in his pocket, trudging towards the door.

“Or he just wants you to think that,” Kuroko reminded him softly, waiting on the bed.

“Jerk,” Kagami muttered. He opened the door and stood back as Aomine walked in. He closed it behind him and led the way back to the bedroom, slumping with his hands in his pockets.

“Hello Aomine-kun,” Kuroko said.

“Hey, Tetsu.” Kuroko sat up and shuffled against the wall, making room for the other two on the bed. Nobody spoke until Aomine demanded that they get talking, and Kuroko started explaining. He spoke carefully, until Kagami interrupted him and blurted out the question of whether or not Aomine wanted to date them. The instant he said it, his face turned red, but he refused to look away until he got an answer.

“Don’t interrupt Tetsu,” Aomine snapped.

“Answer the question.” Kagami was sitting bolt upright and stiff, his blush showing no signs of cooling down.

“What makes you think I like you?” Aomine jabbed his finger into Kagami’s chest and swooped in so close to his face that he could feel his breath, making him jump back, his heartbeat pounding.

“You’re the one who said we needed three people!” Aomine’s eyes narrowed, still only inches away.

“There’s one problem,” he said.

“What?”

“If we’re dating, we should call each other our given names. It’s weird if I call Tetsu ‘Tetsu’ but he calls you ‘Kagami-kun.’ I want him to call you ‘Taiga,’ and I want you to call me ‘Daiki.’ Okay?”

“That’s not really a _problem,_ Aomine-kun,” Kuroko said, but he was blushing slightly. “Oh, I mean, um, Daiki.” Aomine looked at Kagami expectantly. Kagami shrugged.

“Sure.”

“Good,” Aomine said, then he lunged forward again. Kagami didn’t flinch, but Aomine didn’t stop a few inches from his face this time.

He kissed him, grabbing his hair roughly and pulling him forwards. Kagami stared cross-eyed at his face for a few seconds before remembering to close his eyes. He wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning into the kiss. Aomine’s hands trailed out of his hair and down his spine, eventually settling on his hips. When they broke apart, Kuroko was staring, wide eyed. His face was pink. Aomine grinned and pounced on him. He knocked him onto his back and kissed him hard, then rolled off and lay down next to him, laughing. Kagami flopped onto the bed and draped his arm over both of them. Kuroko kissed them on the cheeks.

“Hey… Tetsuya,” Kagami said, hesitating over the name a bit, brushing his hand over Kuroko’s cheek.

“Hm?” Kuroko’s arm was wrapped tightly around Aomine’s stomach.

“I just… wanna tell you that I never thought you weren’t enough for me. I know I was clingy, and weird, but it wasn’t your fault. I wasn’t a bright enough light to make you a proper shadow, you know? It wasn’t that I needed more than you, I just needed more _of_ you. I think that’s why we need Daiki, because he’s brighter than me.” Kuroko’s hand, which had been trailing softly over Aomine’s skin, stiffened and fell still.

“No,” he whispered. “It _is_ my fault.” He reached around Aomine and pushed Kagami’s hair out of his face.  “I didn’t act the way I should have with you. I knew I liked Daiki, too, and I was always afraid of that when I was with you. I couldn’t be with you properly, but I couldn’t let you go either. I’m sorry for that. I think we need Daiki because we both like him, and hiding our feelings is bad for us, not because we aren’t enough for each other already.” His fingers had gone back to tracing Aomine’s abs through his shirt. His voice was no longer a whisper. “I don’t need more light, Taiga. I just need the confidence to be present with you.”

“I don’t need either of you,” Aomine said, slipping his arm around Kagami and pulling him closer. “Go away.” Kuroko smacked him.

 


	15. chapter 15

Aomine was sitting on a bench, leaning against the fence behind him. Kuroko’s head was on his lap, and Kagami was beside him, his arm around his shoulders. They looked out at the outdoor court where they had been spending so much of their time recently, watching the shadows grow long as the sun disappeared behind a building.

“You stink,” Kagami told Aomine, tapping his shoulder with his fingers.

“You’re smelling yourself,” he replied.

“You both stink,” Kuroko said. “We have been playing basketball for a long time.”

“Then you stink too,” Kagami said.

“I smell like roses.” Aomine flicked Kuroko on the forehead and told him to shut up. “That hurt,” he complained. Aomine protested, saying that it was only a flick, and not even a hard one.

“Kiss it better, Taiga.” Kagami obeyed. Aomine glared at him, so he quickly kissed him too.

They’d been dating for three months, but it felt like longer. No one on either of their teams knew. They weren’t sure if they would ever tell them. Kise had figured it out, somehow, when they’d run into him in a restaurant awhile back, and they’d explained it to him as well as they could, interrupting each other to fill in details. He didn’t seem to think it was that weird. Hopefully. Despite the semi-secretive nature of their relationship, they went out together often. Kagami still held Kuroko’s hand in public. Aomine claimed he didn’t want to, anyways, so it wasn’t worth the risk.

Kuroko nuzzled his face against Aomine’s stomach, then sat up slowly.

“We should head home,” he said. Both his boyfriends agreed. Kagami cracked his back and stood up to stretch, and Aomine yawned. He demanded to be carried home. Kuroko threatened to leave him behind, so he forced himself up with a groan. They walked shoulder to shoulder, Kuroko’s hand in Kagami’s. Kagami loosely hooked his pinky around Aomine’s, the backs of their hands brushing together, then let go.

“It’s three months today, right?” Kagami said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“It’s surreal,” he continued. “I can hardly even figure out how we ended up like this, all three of us.”

“It makes sense to me,” Aomine said. “Looking back now, it all fit together, like fate.” Kagami grinned at him.

“Ha!” he said. “I didn’t know you could be so mushy Daiki!"

“Shut up.” Aomine punched him in the arm. Kagami could’ve sworn his face was turning red. He had to force himself not to smile all the way home.


End file.
